webflow-cli:devlink
Export Webflow Designer components to React/Next.js code for external projects. Configure devlink settings in webflow.json, sync design updates with devlink sync, validate generated code, show diffs, and provide integration examples. Use when building with Webflow designs in React/Next.js.
Skill body
DevLink
Export and sync Webflow Designer components to React/Next.js code with validation, diffs, and integration guidance.
Important Note
ALWAYS use Bash tool for all Webflow CLI operations:
- Execute
webflow devlink syncvia Bash tool - Use Read tool to examine synced files and webflow.json (never modify)
- Use Glob tool to discover generated components
- Verify CLI installation:
webflow --version - Check authentication: Use
webflow auth loginfor site authentication - DO NOT use Webflow MCP tools for CLI workflows
- All CLI commands require proper descriptions (not context parameters)
Package Manager Detection:
- Check for lock files:
package-lock.json(npm),pnpm-lock.yaml(pnpm),yarn.lock(yarn) - If no lock file found, ask user which package manager to use (npm/pnpm/yarn)
- Use detected package manager for all install/build commands
Instructions
Phase 1: Environment Verification
- Verify CLI installed: Run
webflow --versionto confirm CLI is installed - Check authentication: Verify site authentication (created via
webflow auth login) - Discover project state: Check if webflow.json exists with devlink configuration
- Identify target framework: Determine if React, Next.js, or other
Phase 2: DevLink Configuration
- Check for existing config: Look for
webflow.jsonwith devlink section - Read configuration: If exists, show current devlink settings:
rootDir: Directory to export components intocssModules: Whether to use CSS modulesfileExtensions: File extensions for generated files- Other configuration options
- Ask operation type: Clarify what user wants to do:
- Configure DevLink for first time
- Sync all components
- Sync specific components (using
componentsregex pattern) - Update existing sync
- Store baseline (if updating): Use Read tool to capture current files before sync
Phase 3: Sync Execution
- Run sync command: Execute
webflow devlink syncwith options:--api-tokenor-t: Override API token from .env--site-idor-s: Override site ID from .env
- Monitor sync progress: Show CLI output and sync status
- Capture sync results: Record files created/modified in rootDir
- Validate generated code:
- Check for TypeScript errors (if using TS)
- Verify import statements
- Confirm component exports
- Check CSS module references
Phase 4: Analysis & Diff Preview
- Compare before/after: Show what changed:
- New files created in rootDir
- Existing files modified
- Components added or updated
- Show file diffs: Display key changes for modified files
- Analyze component structure:
- Component count
- New components added
- Updated components
- CSS files generated
- List dependencies: Show what needs to be imported
Phase 5: Integration Guidance
- Provide import statements: Show exact code to import components
- Show usage examples: Demonstrate how to use each component
- Document sync timestamp: Record when sync occurred
- Provide next steps: Guide user on testing and integration
Examples
Example 1: First-Time DevLink Setup
User prompt:
Sync my Webflow components to my Next.js project
Step 1: Environment Verification
🔍 DevLink Environment Check
Checking CLI installation...
✓ Webflow CLI installed: v1.5.2
Current directory: /Users/user/projects/my-nextjs-app
Framework detected: Next.js 14
Checking for DevLink configuration...
⚠️ No webflow.json with devlink configuration found
This appears to be your first DevLink sync.
Ready to configure? (yes/no)
User confirms: yes
Step 2: Configuration Setup
📋 DevLink Configuration
DevLink syncs Webflow components to your local project as React code.
Configuration needed in webflow.json:
{
"devlink": {
"rootDir": "./devlink", // Where to export components
"cssModules": true, // Use CSS modules
"fileExtensions": {
"js": "jsx" // or "tsx" for TypeScript
}
}
}
I'll help you create this configuration.
Questions:
1. Where should components be exported? (default: ./devlink)
2. Use TypeScript? (yes for tsx, no for jsx)
3. Use CSS modules? (recommended: yes)
User provides: ./src/devlink, yes (TypeScript), yes (CSS modules)
Creating webflow.json configuration...
{
"devlink": {
"rootDir": "./src/devlink",
"cssModules": true,
"fileExtensions": {
"js": "tsx"
}
}
}
✓ Configuration created
⚠️ Authentication Required:
DevLink needs your Webflow site ID and API token.
Run: webflow auth login
This will create a .env file with:
- WEBFLOW_SITE_ID
- WEBFLOW_SITE_API_TOKEN
After authentication, run sync again.
Example 2: First Sync After Configuration
User prompt:
Run the DevLink sync
Step 1: Verification
🔍 DevLink Sync Check
Checking configuration...
✓ webflow.json found with devlink config
✓ Root directory: ./src/devlink
✓ CSS modules: enabled
✓ File extensions: tsx
Checking authentication...
✓ .env found with WEBFLOW_SITE_ID and WEBFLOW_SITE_API_TOKEN
Ready to sync components from Webflow.
Step 2: Sync Execution
🔄 Syncing Components
Executing: webflow devlink sync
Output:
✓ Connecting to Webflow site
✓ Fetching components
✓ Exporting components to ./src/devlink
✓ Generating React components
✓ Creating CSS module files
✓ Creating index file
Sync complete!
📁 Generated Files:
./src/devlink/
├── index.ts (module exports)
├── Navigation.tsx (component)
├── Navigation.module.css (styles)
├── Hero.tsx (component)
├── Hero.module.css (styles)
├── Footer.tsx (component)
├── Footer.module.css (styles)
└── _webflow-style.css (global styles)
📊 Sync Summary:
- Components synced: 3
- Files created: 8
- Total size: 45 KB
Step 3: Integration Guidance
✅ DevLink Sync Complete!
📋 Components Available:
1. Navigation
2. Hero
3. Footer
💡 How to Use:
Import components in your Next.js pages:
```tsx
import { Navigation, Hero, Footer } from './src/devlink'
export default function Home() {
return (
<>
<Navigation />
<Hero />
<Footer />
</>
)
}
Global Styles: Import the global DevLink styles in your _app.tsx or layout:
import '../src/devlink/_webflow-style.css'
📦 No additional dependencies required! DevLink components use only React (already in your project).
🔄 Future Updates:
Run webflow devlink sync again to pull latest design changes.
### Example 3: Update Existing Sync
**User prompt:**
Sync latest changes from Webflow
**Step 1: Pre-Sync State**
🔍 DevLink Update Check
Current state: ✓ Configuration: ./src/devlink ✓ Existing components: 3 (Navigation, Hero, Footer) ✓ Last sync: 2 days ago
Capturing current state for comparison… ✓ Baseline captured
**Step 2: Sync**
🔄 Syncing Updates
Executing: webflow devlink sync
Output: ✓ Connecting to Webflow site ✓ Fetching components ✓ Detecting changes ✓ Updating components ✓ Regenerating files
Sync complete!
**Step 3: Diff Analysis**
📊 Sync Analysis
Changes detected:
Modified Components:
- Navigation.tsx
- Added new “Contact” link
- Updated styles for mobile view
- Hero.tsx
- Changed heading text
- Updated button styling
New Components:
- CallToAction.tsx (new)
- New CTA section added
Unchanged:
- Footer.tsx
📁 Files Updated:
- ./src/devlink/Navigation.tsx (modified)
- ./src/devlink/Navigation.module.css (modified)
- ./src/devlink/Hero.tsx (modified)
- ./src/devlink/Hero.module.css (modified)
- ./src/devlink/CallToAction.tsx (new)
- ./src/devlink/CallToAction.module.css (new)
- ./src/devlink/index.ts (updated exports)
✅ 3 components updated, 1 new component added
💡 New Component Available:
import { CallToAction } from './src/devlink'
<CallToAction />
### Example 4: Sync Specific Components
**User prompt:**
Only sync the navigation component from Webflow
**Configuration Update:**
📋 Filtering Components
To sync only specific components, update webflow.json:
Current configuration: { “devlink”: { “rootDir”: “./src/devlink”, “cssModules”: true, “fileExtensions”: { “js”: “tsx” } } }
Add components regex pattern: { “devlink”: { “rootDir”: “./src/devlink”, “cssModules”: true, “fileExtensions”: { “js”: “tsx” }, “components”: “Navigation” // Regex pattern to match } }
Pattern options:
- “Navigation” - Only Navigation component
- “Nav.*” - All components starting with “Nav”
-
“Navigation Footer” - Multiple specific components - ”.*” - All components (default)
Update webflow.json? (yes/no)
*User confirms: yes*
✓ Configuration updated
Syncing with filter: “Navigation”
Executing: webflow devlink sync
Output: ✓ Connecting to Webflow site ✓ Fetching components ✓ Applying filter: Navigation ✓ Exporting 1 component
📁 Generated: ./src/devlink/ ├── index.ts ├── Navigation.tsx └── Navigation.module.css
✅ Synced 1 component (Navigation only)
### Example 5: Override Site ID and Token
**User prompt:**
Sync from a different Webflow site
**Response:**
🔄 Sync from Different Site
To sync from a different site, use –site-id and –api-token options.
Get credentials:
- Go to Webflow site settings
- Get Site ID
- Generate API token (if needed)
Sync command:
webflow devlink sync --site-id <SITE_ID> --api-token <API_TOKEN>
Example:
webflow devlink sync \
--site-id 5f8a9b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k \
--api-token wfp_1234567890abcdef
This overrides the .env file values for this sync only.
⚠️ Note: You can also:
- Update .env file with new WEBFLOW_SITE_ID and WEBFLOW_SITE_API_TOKEN
- Or maintain multiple .env files (.env.site1, .env.site2)
- Then run: webflow devlink sync (uses .env)
Proceed with override? (yes/no)
### Example 6: TypeScript Configuration
**User prompt:**
Set up DevLink with TypeScript
**Response:**
📋 DevLink TypeScript Configuration
For TypeScript projects, configure file extensions:
webflow.json: { “devlink”: { “rootDir”: “./src/devlink”, “cssModules”: true, “fileExtensions”: { “js”: “tsx” // Use .tsx for TypeScript } } }
Benefits: ✓ Type-safe components ✓ Better IDE support ✓ Auto-completion ✓ Compile-time error checking
After sync, components will be generated as:
- Navigation.tsx (instead of .jsx)
- Hero.tsx
- Footer.tsx
Usage with TypeScript:
import { Navigation } from '@/src/devlink'
export default function Layout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
return (
<div>
<Navigation />
{children}
</div>
)
}
Ready to sync? (yes/no)
## Guidelines
### Phase 1: CLI Verification
**Installation Check:**
```bash
# Check if CLI is installed
webflow --version
# If not installed, guide user:
npm install -g @webflow/webflow-cli
Authentication Check:
# Site authentication creates .env file
# Check for:
cat .env
# Should contain:
# WEBFLOW_SITE_ID=your-site-id
# WEBFLOW_SITE_API_TOKEN=your-token
# If missing, authenticate:
webflow auth login
Phase 2: Configuration
webflow.json DevLink Schema:
{
"devlink": {
"rootDir": "./devlink",
"cssModules": true,
"fileExtensions": {
"js": "jsx"
}
}
}
All Configuration Options:
| Option | Description | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
host |
Webflow API host URL | https://api.webflow.com |
No |
rootDir |
Directory to export components into | ./devlink |
Yes |
siteId |
Webflow site ID | process.env.WEBFLOW_SITE_ID |
No |
authToken |
Webflow API authentication token | process.env.WEBFLOW_SITE_API_TOKEN |
No |
cssModules |
Enable CSS modules for component styles | true |
No |
allowTelemetry |
Allow anonymous usage analytics | true |
No |
envVariables |
Inject environment variables into exported components | {} |
No |
components |
Regex pattern to match components to export | .* |
No |
overwriteModule |
Whether to overwrite the module file | true |
No |
fileExtensions |
File extensions for exported components | { js: ".js", css: ".css" } |
No |
skipTagSelectors |
Exclude tag/ID/attribute selectors from global CSS | false |
No |
relativeHrefRoot |
Control how relative href attributes are resolved |
/ |
No |
Common Configurations:
React with JavaScript:
{
"devlink": {
"rootDir": "./src/components/webflow",
"cssModules": true,
"fileExtensions": {
"js": "jsx"
}
}
}
Next.js with TypeScript:
{
"devlink": {
"rootDir": "./src/devlink",
"cssModules": true,
"fileExtensions": {
"js": "tsx"
}
}
}
Sync Specific Components:
{
"devlink": {
"rootDir": "./src/devlink",
"cssModules": true,
"components": "Navigation|Hero|Footer"
}
}
Phase 3: Sync Command
Basic Sync:
# Uses webflow.json config and .env credentials
webflow devlink sync
Sync with Options:
# Override site ID
webflow devlink sync --site-id 5f8a9b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k
# Override API token
webflow devlink sync --api-token wfp_1234567890abcdef
# Override both
webflow devlink sync \
--site-id 5f8a9b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k \
--api-token wfp_1234567890abcdef
# Short flags
webflow devlink sync -s <site-id> -t <api-token>
Sync Options:
--api-token/-t: The API token to use, overriding the.envfile--site-id/-s: The site ID to sync from, overriding the.envfile
Phase 4: Generated Files
Directory Structure: After sync, rootDir contains:
./devlink/
├── index.ts // Module exports
├── ComponentName.tsx // Component file
├── ComponentName.module.css // Component styles (if cssModules: true)
├── AnotherComponent.tsx
├── AnotherComponent.module.css
└── _webflow-style.css // Global Webflow styles
Component Structure: Generated components are React functional components:
import React from 'react'
import styles from './ComponentName.module.css'
export function ComponentName() {
return (
<div className={styles.container}>
{/* Component markup */}
</div>
)
}
Index File: Exports all components for easy importing:
export { ComponentName } from './ComponentName'
export { AnotherComponent } from './AnotherComponent'
Error Handling
CLI Not Installed:
❌ Webflow CLI Not Found
The Webflow CLI is required for DevLink.
Installation:
npm install -g @webflow/webflow-cli
After installation, verify:
webflow --version
Documentation: https://developers.webflow.com/cli
Not Authenticated:
❌ Not Authenticated
DevLink needs authentication to access your Webflow site.
Steps:
1. Run: webflow auth login
2. Follow authentication prompts in browser
3. Select your site when prompted
4. Verify: .env file created with:
- WEBFLOW_SITE_ID
- WEBFLOW_SITE_API_TOKEN
5. Retry sync
Need help? https://developers.webflow.com/cli/authentication
No Configuration:
❌ DevLink Not Configured
No webflow.json with devlink configuration found.
Create webflow.json in project root:
{
"devlink": {
"rootDir": "./devlink",
"cssModules": true,
"fileExtensions": {
"js": "jsx" // or "tsx" for TypeScript
}
}
}
Required fields:
- rootDir: Where to export components
After configuration, run: webflow devlink sync
Sync Failures:
❌ Sync Failed
Error: [Specific error from CLI]
Common Causes:
- Network connection issues
- Invalid site ID or API token
- Insufficient permissions
- Site has no components to export
Solutions:
1. Check internet connection
2. Verify credentials in .env
3. Check site permissions in Webflow
4. Ensure site has published components
5. Try: webflow devlink sync --site-id <id> --api-token <token>
Retry sync? (yes/no)
Invalid Site ID:
❌ Invalid Site ID
The provided site ID is invalid or inaccessible.
Check:
1. Verify WEBFLOW_SITE_ID in .env
2. Ensure you have access to the site
3. Check site ID in Webflow dashboard
Get site ID:
1. Open site in Webflow
2. Go to Site Settings
3. Find Site ID in General tab
Update .env and retry sync.
File Operations
Reading Files: Always use Read tool (never modify):
# View DevLink configuration
Read: webflow.json
# View environment
Read: .env
# View generated component
Read: ./devlink/Navigation.tsx
# View generated styles
Read: ./devlink/Navigation.module.css
Discovering Files: Use Glob tool to find files:
# Find all generated components
Glob: ./devlink/**/*.tsx
# Find all CSS modules
Glob: ./devlink/**/*.module.css
# Find configuration
Glob: webflow.json
Never Use Write/Edit Tools:
- Don’t create webflow.json with Write (show user the structure)
- Don’t modify generated components
- Let CLI handle file generation
- Only read files to show content and diffs
Progress Indicators
For Sync:
🔄 Syncing Components...
Connecting to Webflow... ✓
Fetching components... ✓
Generating React code... ⏳
Creating CSS modules... ⏳
Processed: 3/5 components
Elapsed: 8s
Best Practices
Configuration:
- Keep webflow.json in project root
- Use TypeScript (.tsx) for better type safety
- Enable CSS modules for scoped styling
- Use specific component regex patterns for large sites
Development Workflow:
- Design in Webflow Designer
- Publish changes
- Run
webflow devlink sync - Review diffs before integrating
- Test components in your app
Integration:
- Import global styles (_webflow-style.css) in app entry point
- Import components where needed
- Don’t modify generated files (will be overwritten)
- Wrap DevLink components if customization needed
Version Control:
- Commit webflow.json
- Add .env to .gitignore
- Commit generated devlink/ directory (or add to .gitignore)
- Document last sync timestamp
Multiple Sites:
- Use different rootDir for each site
- Or use
componentspattern to filter - Override credentials with –site-id and –api-token
- Maintain separate .env files
Quick Reference
Workflow: configure webflow.json → authenticate → sync
Key Commands:
webflow devlink sync- Sync components from Webflowwebflow devlink sync -s <id> -t <token>- Sync with overrides
Sync Options:
-s/--site-id- Override site ID-t/--api-token- Override API token
Configuration: webflow.json with devlink section
Schema (Required):
{
"devlink": {
"rootDir": "./devlink" // Required
}
}
Schema (Common):
{
"devlink": {
"rootDir": "./devlink",
"cssModules": true,
"fileExtensions": {
"js": "jsx" // or "tsx"
}
}
}
Authentication: Site authentication via webflow auth login
Environment: WEBFLOW_SITE_ID and WEBFLOW_SITE_API_TOKEN in .env
Verification: Check webflow --version and site authentication first
Generated Files: React components in rootDir with CSS modules
Documentation: https://developers.webflow.com/devlink